inciweb.nwcg.gov/Special to the Daily
The early arrival of Eagle County’s first large wildfire of the season last week and, with it, Stage 2 fire restrictions has resurfaced an inevitable question: What should happen to those who don’t do their part to prevent fires?
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office typically takes an education-forward approach to dealing with people who violate the county’s fire mitigation restrictions, but there are a few criminal charges that can be utilized in more extreme cases, Sheriff James van Beek said.
“We wrote the (fire restriction) ordinance in such a way as that it’s more of an education piece … but it gives us a set of teeth should we need it,” van Beek said. “We approach it from the community policing standpoint of we need everyone to do their part because we’re all part of this community and if everyone does their part, then that lowers the risk.”